by A. J. Macey
“Mumbling about how he’s not allowed to be upset on our weekend away as you stumbled over to him,” Reid added, his smile appearing in the darkened room. “Leaving us two to have to cuddle all night.”
“I sleepwalked over here? I’m surprised I didn’t injure myself,” I grumbled, stretching out and waking Jesse in the process.
“You ran into something along the way,” Reid laughed. “Probably will have a pretty good bruise on your leg based on your long string of expletives.”
“Ugh,” I groaned, feeling the stiffness in my right thigh before the ache settled in. “So, our tour’s at nine, and it’s,”―I glanced over at the clock―“seven. Who’s up for breakfast?”
“Oh, I am!” Reid said, his arm waving in the air enthusiastically. Kingston’s hand followed, albeit more calmly, while Jesse gave a sleepy huff of agreement.
“Let me get ready, and we can hit up the cafe near here.” Shuffling to sitting, I slowly made my way to standing. Peeking outside, I squealed loudly. “So much snow!”
“How much?” Jesse asked, his question muffled. Glancing over at him, I saw his face pressing into his pillow, one eye centered on me.
“A couple of inches, I think. I mean, I’m not exactly the best to be guessing these kinds of things. California born and bred, remember?” I teased. Jesse’s honeyed laugh mixed with Kingston’s chuckle and Reid’s snort. “Okay, for real this time, I’m going to get ready. I’m starving.” With that, we all turned our limited morning energy to getting dressed and socially acceptable. After a half-hour of shuffling around, we made our way out into the cold winter air.
White flakes swirled, drifting leisurely to the ground. A sense of excitement and joy filled me as we walked, our boots crunching on the snow. Here, in a different city with my boys, I didn’t have to deal with Brad, Jesse’s trial, or the ACT. It was just me and them, planning for the future. My cheeks started to ache from my smile, the sting of an ice-cold breeze whipping around us, making my pale skin redden.
“You enjoying yourself, Cali girl?” Reid asked as he skipped ahead. “That’s a mighty big smile for someone who’s used to the coast.”
“I’ve decided I love snow. Wherever I end up, it must have snow,” I declared, jutting my chin out in a challenge when Reid turned to look back at us.
“Oh, is that so?” He hummed at the end of his question, an eyebrow raising. Bending down, he scooped up a handful of snow and packed it between his cupped palms. Narrowing my eyes on him, I watched skeptically until he cocked an arm back and tossed it at me.
“Ah!” I shrieked, curling just in time for the projectile to hit my side. “I’m unarmed! That’s so not knightly, babe,” I called out in between my laughter. Running behind Jesse, I scooped up my own snow. Trying my best, I shaped a deformed ball and launched it over Jesse’s shoulder at Reid. “Aha!” I shouted when it hit him in the stomach, nearly crying with laughter when a second snowball smacked Reid in the face.
“You’re supposed to be on my side, dude,” Reid countered to Kingston, who looked innocent as if he hadn’t just chucked a snowball at his best friend.
“This is it, the end.” Reid pretended to stumble to the ground. “Stabbed in the back by my own friend, the betrayal tastes of bitter defeat and death.”
“You’re so ridiculous. I don’t know how we go anywhere with you and not attract everyone’s attention.” Jesse shook his head, smiling down at Reid, who was fully laid out on the snow-covered grass.
“Let them watch. I don’t do this for them, I do this because being weird is in my nature. It’s in my DNA,” Reid stated proudly. “Life would be so dull without the weirdos and clowns.”
“And you’re the biggest clown of them all. Now, let’s get breakfast.” Kingston held out a hand, pulling Reid up, then helped him dust off the snow stuck to the back of his coat.
“I like this look on you, Em,” Jesse whispered, leaning into me as he grabbed my hand.
“What look?” I asked, looking down at my outfit. “This is the same thing I usually wear.”
“Happy, Em. I like seeing you happy.”
My cheeked burned for a completely different reason than the winter weather. Warmth curled through me, the butterflies fluttering, and I nibbled on my lip.
“It looks pretty danged good on you too, Jess,” I murmured, a hint of giddiness lacing my tone. Squeezing my hand, he smiled before turning to Kingston, who asked him a question. It wasn’t just the snow or the weekend away that was making me happy. Well... not the only thing making me happy right now.
My boys made me happy.
“Welcome to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln!” our tour guide greeted brightly. “I’m Mark, a resident adviser in one of the dorms, and I work in the office part-time. Before we start the tour, are there any questions?”
“How big is the school?” Kingston asked. There were students scattered around the campus, but not many, most more than likely not having classes on Saturday.
“Physically, it’s a little over eight hundred and fifty acres, whereas the undergrad student population is around twenty thousand. There are over one hundred and fifty majors to choose from.” Mark continued, listing facts and stats about different buildings and classes as we walked the grounds. While I listened, I focused on the area around me. I knew when we set up the tour, it was an older campus, but some buildings looked to be updated, others under construction.
“So, you have to live on campus freshman year?” I heard Reid ask, catching my attention.
“Any unmarried students under nineteen and taking more than six credit hours a semester, yes,” he explained. “There are a few exceptions, such as commuting from home, being married, or living in one of the Greek houses.”
“Fraternity and sorority?” Reid continued, our guide nodding and rattling off about how the Greek life worked on campus. I tuned that out, not caring about sororities at the moment.
Maybe after I know I’ll be able to get in, but not right now.
“So, what is everyone thinking for majors? Or are you guys going to choose when you get into college?” Mark inquired.
“Pre-law,” Kingston stated. “My dad has a firm.”
“Very cool. UNL would be a good choice. It has not only a pre-law program but graduate law as well.”
“Thinking science-oriented, although I’m not too sure on what yet,” Reid explained. “I’ll probably decide after starting.”
“Haven’t decided yet.” Jesse’s response was short, his words clipped as he stiffened. My brows furrowed at his sudden change in demeanor, but I let it go, feeling Mark’s eyes on me expectantly.
“Business, marketing, or management more than likely,” I mumbled with an awkward smile.
“Oh, if that’s the case, you’ll love Professor Halloway. She’s one of the business professors, one of my favorites,” Mark rattled off. Plastering a smile on my face, I nodded, tucking the information away, but after seeing Jesse tense up, I found myself unable to focus.
We continued our tour—the main buildings, student center, library, and dorms. By the end of the two hours, my face was freezing, and I wanted to curl up with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate by a fire or at least be inside for more than a few minutes to see the lobby. Picking up on my quickly descending mood, Kingston asked Mark if there was somewhere we could get a hot drink and hang out before going to lunch.
With a location and a lot of extra ideas of things to do in mind, we turned and headed off campus to a local tea and coffee shop. The shop smelled of freshly brewed grounds and steeping leaves, with a fire roaring in a large stone fireplace in the corner of the room. Heat permeated my goosebump-covered body and soothed the bone-deep shivering. Kingston directed me, his hand on my lower back, nudging me toward a cluster of empty leather chairs and couch.
“So, Babydoll, how did you like it?” Kingston asked, sitting down on the cushion next to me, his arm going over my shoulders as he pulled me into his warm chest. “See yourself going to college
here?”
“It was nice. I think once I pass the ACT and have a bit more of a solid idea I’ll be able to get in, I’ll be a bit more comfortable in terms of plans after graduation. But yeah, I definitely think I could. What about you?” I murmured, looking up into his warm brown eyes centered on me.
“I think so. I love their law program, and it’s close enough to home and the firm, I would be able to see my parents and brother and still help out every so often.”
“What do you guys think about the living on campus part?” Reid asked, handing Kingston his drink while Jesse passed mine over. I gave him a grateful smile and took a tentative sip.
“It might be an adjustment, but I don’t think I’d have too many issues. It’s only for freshman year and will give us a chance to get to know the area. We can get an apartment sophomore year when we’re all nineteen,” Kingston responded before taking a drink of his coffee.
“I’ve never lived with anyone other than my parents, so having a roommate might be interesting, but I don’t think it’d be bad. You considering joining a frat?” I questioned, glancing around the group, but my gaze focused more on Reid than the other two boys.
“Why are you looking at me?” he questioned with a head tilt. “Do I scream frat boy to you?”
“No, but you’re pretty social. I wasn’t sure if that was something you’d want to do.” I shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t take me asking the wrong way. It was only when his lips started to twitch, I realized he was faking his offense. Flashing him a half-hearted glare, I took another sip of my hot chocolate.
“I liked it,” Jesse added with a shrug, “but I haven’t spent much time outside of our hometown, so going somewhere else seems like it’d be fun.”
I tried to look at him, having noticed tension growing in his shoulders during the visit, but in the shop’s dim lighting, I couldn’t tell if he was upset. He didn’t sound upset, so I settled in and got comfortable. We fell into a companionable silence when a violinist started to play in the opposite corner, the holiday tune flowing through the space, relaxing me into Kingston’s embrace.
“So, what do we want to do for the rest of the afternoon?” I asked after our drinks were long gone, and the space had started to fill up.
“They have ice skating down in the Haymarket,” Reid offered, scrolling on his phone quickly. “Has a lot of places to eat, and it’s only a couple blocks if we want to walk.”
“I’m terrible at ice skating,” I warned, glancing at Kingston. “Worse than roller skating, but I’m totally down. Is it outside?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Reid stood, holding out my coat for me as Kingston and Jesse took the empty cups to the dirty container bins. I felt my cheeks warm at the sweet gesture. “Ready, Cali girl? Think your warm coastal blood can handle being out in the snow for a couple hours?”
“Ha ha,” I huffed, unable to stop the grin that spread across my face as I turned to face Reid. “I hope so, but we’ll see. Never know,”—I shrugged—“might need someone to help keep me warm.”
“I think I know the perfect man for the job,” he murmured, his tone sinfully smooth as his hazel eyes glimmered.
“Okay, enough flirting. You two have hogged her,” Jesse butted in with a cocky smile. “My turn.” Reid and Kingston rolled their eyes, but much to my surprise didn’t argue as Jesse snatched my hand, intertwining our fingers. My heart skipped a beat as we walked down the road, Jesse’s thumb rubbing my hand and the way he gazed at me every so often, making the little butterflies flare.
“What?” I whispered. Brushing my cheeks, I felt tingles under the fabric of my gloves. “You keep looking at me.”
“You’re pretty, it’s hard to not look at you, Em,” he responded, his tone confident as he leaned over, kissing me on the cheek. Before pulling away, he whispered, his lips brushing against the curve of my jaw, “I can’t get enough of that gorgeous smile.”
“I think I like this more assertive, confident Jesse,” I murmured, nibbling on my lips as my cheek buzzed where I swore I could still feel his lips.
“Yeah? Maybe I’ll bring him out more, just for you,” he teased.
“Okay, lovebirds, time for skating!” Reid hollered, darting forward and curling his arms around me and Jesse in a tight hug before nearly skipping to the front door Kingston held open.
“I also suck at skating, in case that’ll help you feel any better,” Jesse added as we got our skates, sitting down to lace them up.
I chuckled but couldn’t deny it did help. No one wants to be the only one slipping and sliding all over the ice. Maybe we can learn together. It’ll be nice being able to learn something with him for a change, instead of me being the pupil.
“Don’t worry, I’ll hold your guys’ hands until you get the hang of it,” Reid offered. Jesse raised a brow and shook his head, causing Reid to exclaim, “What? If I offer it to Cali girl, I’m going to offer it to you too, dude. Don’t hate on the bro-love I have for you.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Jesse laughed, “I appreciate the thought, but just focus on Em.”
“Really? No ‘love you too’?” Reid hollered after Jesse as he made his way outside onto the ice with Kingston. Jesse’s honeyed laugh reached my ears, followed by a quick ‘Yeah, yeah love you too.’
“Ready?” I asked, nerves building in my stomach as I wobbled on the skates’ thin blades. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“It’ll be alright, and if you fall, we’ll help you up,” Reid offered with a smile, his playfulness toned down as he cupped my face. Rubbing my cheeks a couple of times with his gloved hands, he kissed me deeply, taking my breath away before helping me into the frozen rink.
It was slow and rough for a few circles around the rink, but after the fourth pass, I was finally able to go more than a few feet without stumbling or falling. Reid kept his promise, holding my hand the whole time as we started to glide smoothly around the edge of the ice. Jesse was wobbling a bit but only fell once, Kingston staying near him to help him up.
Once I had it down enough to move somewhat confidently, skating was relaxing. I was enjoying the cold icy air brushing across my face as I seamlessly shifted from one foot to the other. Reid was content to stay silent next to me, the tips of his curls, poking out from under his hat, flaring in the breeze.
“Having fun?” Kingston’s smooth voice reached me, his fingers intertwining with my free hand. Jesse seemed to have gotten his balance, easily skating around us with a wave, his tongue sticking out at Reid as he passed.
“Yeah, this is amazing,” I said, my cheeks numb as I talked, the cold air finally taking its toll. “But I think my face is frozen.”
“Yeah, not surprising, the wind chill today is pretty cold. You up for dinner soon? We’ve been here for,”—Kingston checked his phone—“over an hour already.”
My brows shot up in surprise. Apparently, skating in circles is meditative enough to make time pass quickly.
“Hey, Jesse!” Reid shouted. My third boyfriend glanced over his shoulder as he coasted to a stop at the edge of the rink. “Ready for food?”
“Yeah, starving,” Jesse agreed. We quickly made our way off the ice, changing our skates out for winter boots. Not even the crowded, bustling sidewalks could dim my mood, and I knew if I could feel my cheeks, they would be aching from my smile.
“Oooh,” I squealed, pointing as a horse-drawn carriage pulled up down the street, letting off its current passengers. “Can we do that after food?”
“Want to do it now? Food will still be there after,” Jesse offered.
“You sure?” I asked, glancing around them. They all nodded, looking at me with such caring expressions, I felt my chest constrict, warmth and that pesky “L” word building within me.
“It’s not every day you get to ride in a horse-carriage like in the movies,” Jesse stated with a shrug, and I beamed.
They are the sweetest guys I’ve ever met, nothing at all like Tyler.
At the thought of my persi
stent ex, I wanted to roll my eyes. He had been immature, rude, and childish. My boys, though, were thoughtful and caring and wanted to make me as happy as I wanted to make them.
They say I’m perfect, but I think they’re pretty perfect too.
December 8th
The snow’s pretty to look at and so romantic. The driving part, though? Well, wish me luck.
#ImGoingToCrash #CaliGirlIsRight #NOTSundayFunday
“Holy crap, I am so not going to drive well in the snow,” I squeaked, hopping out of the Jeep as if it was on fire. “That was terrifying.”
“It’s not that bad, Cali girl, I had control the whole time,” Reid countered, following at a much more mellow pace.
“Except when you spun out on the ice a couple of blocks ago,” Jesse argued, coming to stand next to me.
“Or when you slid through a stop sign back in Lincoln,” Kingston added with a laugh.
“Had control almost the whole time,” Reid amended his statement. “But we made it to UNO safely, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, yeah, babe. Let’s just not do any more driving for a few hours to give my adrenaline time to settle,” I teased as he wrapped his arm around me. “Let’s get this tour going. I want to play in the snow.”
“Who said we’re playing in the snow?” Reid prodded, poking my side, “Huh?”
“Well, why else would you have a couple of sleds in the back? Yeah, don’t think I didn’t see those yesterday.” I gave him a bright smile, happy to know he had thought about the weather before we left.
“Alright, I confess, we’re going sledding after the tour.” I did a little skip hop as we walked to express my excitement, making the boys laugh.
The tour was similar to the day before, the only difference, more of the buildings were newer, and it seemed like the buildings were closer together. It was a bit easier to pay attention to this one; our guide was entertaining, prepared with anecdotes, facts, and other random tidbits as we walked.
“How are the science labs here? And the planetarium?” Reid questioned at the end of our tour.
